— 203 — 



and examined at leisure, transferring what was of value to another collec- 

 ting bottle. 



Following up this method, I was enabled to fill two large collecting 

 bottles in less than one hour with selected specimens. 



Each examination of the net's contents showed some rare and fre- 

 quently new form of Hymenoptera or Diptera; and in place of the simi- 

 larity looked for, each succeeding day introduced new forms frequently in 

 abundance where none had been seen on the day previous. The order 

 Hymenoptera was chiefly represented, the flowers of a single plant fre- 

 quently containing 5 or 8 Ammophilas 15 or 20 bees of the genus Augo- 

 chlora, Agapustemon and others, together with representatives of half-a- 

 dozen other families. 



The lateness of the season, several heavy frosts occurring before and 

 after the period, may make a statement of the number of forms repre- 

 sented in the Families of aculeate Hymenoptera of interest. 



The numbers do not indicate distinct species in every case, a few- 

 will doubtless prove to be male and female of the same species on further 

 examination. 



Formicidie, 3. Chrysidae, 2. MuHllidae, 2 ^. Scoliadae, 2. 

 Pompilidie, 10. Sub. fain. Larrinae, 6. Sub. fain. Spheginae, 15, 

 (12 species of the genus Ammophila). Sub. fam. Bembecinae, 2. Sub. 

 fam. Plulinlhinae, and Crabroninae. 20. Vespidae 27. of which 23 are of 

 the sub fam. Eumeninae. Apidae, 50-. 60. 



The smaller forms of Hymenoptera were well represented; mam- 

 large and handsome Dipters were taken; and the orders Hemiptera and 

 Coleoptera, yielded numerous species. In all, several thousand speci- 

 mens were thus secured. 



The writer has not before found a spot yielding such rich returns 

 at this season, doubtless accounted for in the fact that this was the only 

 patch of fresh blooming plants of the species given, or indeed of any 

 species, in this locality. 



Collecting Notes: Many handsome Ichneumons and several species 

 of Cynipidae were secured in this and previous years by beating the after- 

 math in grassy ravines with a collecting net. 



SOCIETY NEWS. 



Entomological Society of Washington. December 2. Prof, lliley read a 

 paper on the luminous laivae which are now recognized as the larvae and larvi- 

 form females of Phenyodes and Zarh ipe, s. After reviewing the literature on the 

 subject he stated that he first found one of these larva in 1869 in a cellar at St. 

 Louis, Mo., and the figure he made of this larvae is published in LeBarons' 4th 

 Illinois Report. Subsetpuently he received quite a number of similar larvae 



